Another extortionate fee case has emerged at a karaoke bar in downtown Chiang Mai. This time, two British men filed a police complaint after being charged 150,000 baht on their credit cards during just one night out. The bar claimed they charged for having nearly all their female staff sit and drink with the customers, billing 700 baht per person per hour for 5 hours until about 7 a.m. when the bill was settled. Police have called for further questioning and encouraged negotiation to settle the matter.
On 14 July 2026, reporters learned that late the previous night (13 July 2026), the Thai wife of the British victim, accompanied by lawyer Damrong Boonprakong, came to meet the opposing party at Chiang Mai City Police Station. This followed police summoning both parties for additional questioning and urging them to negotiate a settlement.
The incident dates back to 28 June 2026, when the British husband, married to a Thai woman and residing in Nong Khwai Subdistrict, Hang Dong District, Chiang Mai, along with a British friend visiting Thailand, went drinking at a restaurant on Nimmanhaemin Road. After becoming heavily intoxicated, they proceeded to a karaoke bar near Chiang Mai’s old city for further entertainment.
The men disappeared throughout the night and only returned home the next morning. They later discovered that the karaoke bar had charged exorbitant fees, maxing out their credit cards to nearly 150,000 baht, including charges on both the husband’s credit card and the cash card belonging to the wife, which was with her husband. They reported the case to police, alleging the bar charged excessive fees.
The victim’s wife told reporters that on the night in question, her husband and his friend first visited an Italian restaurant on Nimmanhaemin Road where they became very intoxicated. They then went to the karaoke bar near the old city. The first bill was about 700 baht, which the husband’s friend paid. As they were about to leave, staff tried to persuade them to continue using services, but her husband threatened to call the police, so they were allowed to leave.
They then hired a tuk-tuk from outside the bar to take the friend back to a hotel on Nimmanhaemin Road. After dropping off the friend, they asked the tuk-tuk driver to take the intoxicated British husband back to their home in Hang Dong District. Despite his heavily intoxicated state, the tuk-tuk driver instead took him back to the same karaoke bar.
At that point, her husband was unconscious. Later, they learned the bar had charged 124,110 baht on his credit card and an additional 26,400 baht on her other credit card. Bank checks revealed that the credit card funds were transferred to two individuals’ PromptPay accounts, with all transactions occurring closely within half an hour. Concerned, she filed a police complaint, saying this should never happen to anyone else. She had only heard of such cases before and never imagined it would happen to her husband.
Currently, both parties continue negotiations. The karaoke bar claims the two British tourists did use their services and had nearly all the female staff sit and drink with them, charging 700 baht per person per hour for 5 hours until about 7 a.m., when the bill was settled.
The victims question why the price was so excessively high. Could two intoxicated tourists really spend almost 150,000 baht in 5 hours? They also note the multiple credit card charges with differing amounts instead of a single charge. Furthermore, the husband’s card had a limit set at 50,000 baht but was charged above that. The wife’s card, which was with the husband, was also used for cash withdrawals. They found that some payments did not go to the karaoke bar but to personal accounts.
They also suspect the tuk-tuk driver might have been complicit in luring tourists into these scams. GPS data from the victim’s phone shows the tuk-tuk circled several times around Tha Phae Road, Loi Kroh Road, and Chang Moi Road before finally returning to the same karaoke bar.
This type of incident has happened repeatedly to foreign tourists, who are charged excessive fees for food, drinks, and staff services at karaoke bars. The pattern often involves hired drivers who likely take a cut by bringing tourists to such establishments to be extorted. Authorities are urged to investigate and resolve the issue to protect the city’s tourism image.